Tag: function

  • Letter #62 (The Local Shepherd–2)

    Dear Small Church Congregation,

         I mentioned in the last letter the concept of a spiritual umbrella that needs to exist in Christ’s body.  We know the Father sent the Son, who, in turn, asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to His (Christ’s) body.  There is a spiritual covering that exists because of the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that covering must be present in order for the Body of Christ to function properly.  We know Jesus is the Head of the Body, and it is His presence, His covering, His spiritual authority, that must be present for the Body to be complete and operating as He desires it to operate.  That presence, covering or authority is what I am referring to when I speak of the spiritual umbrella needed by every part of the Body of Christ, by every congregation and, by direct implication, every individual part of that body.

         I also mentioned that the local shepherd, the pastor, provides a spiritual covering and first line of defense against the devil for the local congregation.  Allow me to explain this statement.  God gave certain “people gifts” to the overall body of believers.  These include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  Each of these gifts has a particular function to perform within the Body of Christ.  The function of the pastor is to be the shepherd for the local group of disciples who gather for worship.

         The local shepherd is God’s gift to that individual congregation.  However, the congregation is not in charge of the pastor.  They do not “own” the pastor.  They should not dictate His duties, nor should they supervise him like a committee supervises someone under their authority, because the shepherd is not under their authority.  He is under the authority of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God is his umbrella of spiritual authority if he is not part of a fellowship or denomination that has governance over its members and provides them with ministerial credentials.  If he is part of such a group, then that larger group will be his spiritual umbrella, and the group will be answerable to God for how they lead, protect and guide the pastor.

         Regardless of whether the pastor is covered directly by God or by a group that provides an umbrella of covering, the pastor is responsible for providing the spiritual umbrella for the local congregation.  If you can picture this—God’s umbrella covers the pastor or the credentialling group, and then the pastor covers the congregation.

    (It would be a good idea to read Psalm 23 now before continuing.)

         As the one who is the spiritual umbrella and leader for the local congregation, the pastor serves the people in a manner that is similar to how Jesus led his disciples by being a shepherd to them.  The pastor doesn’t simply teach the people.  He guides them to the best spiritual food possible.  He leads them according to a shared vision for their future.  He helps them grow spiritually and makes sure they are drinking from the spiritual fountain flowing from the presence of the Holy Spirit.

         The pastor also protects the congregation (his flock) from the devil’s attacks.  He goes before them as they journey with Christ, finding the safest, best places for them to graze and bed down for a season until the Holy Spirit leads him into new territory spiritually, and possibly physically.  Additionally, the shepherd corrects the sheep (disciples) when necessary, and, when necessary, he disciplines those who attempt to go on  their own path, instead of remaining on the path God indicates they should follow.

         The pastor helps the flock increase by helping the sheep (disciples) to create new disciples through fulfilling the great commission.  It’s not the pastor’s job to make disciples for the flock by himself.  (A shepherd cannot have the sheep the members of the flock are supposed to have.)  He helps the sheep make new disciples by encouraging them to go out of the building and tell people about Jesus.  When a new person arrives because some member of the flock has led them to Christ and brought them into the fold, the pastor can then care for and help that new sheep to grow spiritually.

         If a congregation’s members have chosen to submit to the leadership of a pastor, instead of desiring that weekend evangelist who visits the sick for them, they have chosen their spiritual umbrella, their guide, the one who is responsible for their spiritual and physical well-being.  They should not expect the pastor to seek to please them.  They should seek for the pastor to help them become as mature spiritually as possible, and that will include times when the pastor does not please them, because pleasing the flock is not the shepherd’s job.

         Their choice of a pastor is a reflection of how much they should be willing to submit to God’s leadership through the pastor.  If they will honor the pastor and get a good understanding of what the local shepherd is supposed strive to achieve, then that congregation will experience spiritual and, probably, physical growth.  It’s not a given that they will fill their building to overflowing, but it is given that they will mature spiritually and become more like Jesus as they follow their local shepherd, their pastor.

         We’ll look at what can potentially happen spiritually and physically when a congregation does follow their pastor in the next letter.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #58 (The Body’s Head)

    Dear Small Church Congregation,

         Our brain directs the functioning of our physical body.  Without a properly operating brain, the body will cease to function as it should.  Our five physical senses are centered in our head and send signals to the brain so we can experience the world around us.  Hence our head can be considered the source of all the other functions our body performs.  It is the source of directions that are sent to the rest of the body.  Without the head, which contains the brain, the body ceases to function.

         The spiritual body of Christ has a head, too, that contains a “spiritual brain.”  That head is Jesus Christ.  That spiritual brain, if you will, is the will of God, the direction toward which God desires Christ’s Body to go.  If the Body of Christ is separated from Jesus and His direction (God’s will), it ceases to function, just as the physical body ceases to operate if the head is severed from it.

         If Jesus is building His church (the Body), one might ask how is it possible for the Body of Christ (the church) to be separated from its head?  Allow me to give an illustration of how I have seen this occur in the spiritual realm as demonstrated in the physical realm.

         If an individual ingests a sufficient amount of alcoholic beverages, the function of the body is altered because the brain housed in the head reacts to the chemical elements found in the alcoholic beverage.  Alcohol is naturally found in the body, but only in very minute amounts in the digestive system.  Ingested alcohol becomes a contaminant to the body and alters its operation.     

         Should that happen, the senses are dulled, the hand-eye motor coordination slows, speech can be slurred, memory becomes “fuzzy,” and inhibitions about proper behavior can stop controlling emotional and rational responses to surrounding circumstances.  The alcohol affects the brain and the senses housed in the head, whether mental, emotional, or physical, resulting in a breakdown of the operation of the body.

         The same kind of thing happens spiritually when the body ingests spiritual contaminants.  Jesus, as the head of the Church, delivers His desires for how His body is to operate through scripture, prayer, anointed messages from his servants, and any other method He chooses to communicate with His Body.  When Satan is able to disrupt the flow of Christ’s communication with His Church, when he is able to interject spiritually unhealthy contaminants into that flow, the head ceases to have its intended effect on the functioning of the Body of Christ. 

         Doubt, fear, stress, persecution, personal preferences, men’s traditions, unbiblical denominational demands, carnal lusts, pride, anger, jealousy, gluttony, greed, cruelty—and any number of other physical, emotional, mental or spiritual obstacles—all act as contaminants that cause Jesus’s Church to reach a point of malfunction.  The devil will use anything he can to keep Christ’s will from being performed within His Body.

         In order for the physical body to stop the detrimental effects of alcohol, the consumption of the alcohol has to be stopped.  Sometimes that comes through a choice made by the consumer.  At other times, incarceration caused by improper behavior occurs, and the access to alcohol is stopped for some period of time.  The bottom line is the body must stop having the alcohol introduced so the bad effects can cease.

         In order for the spiritual Body of Christ to stop the detrimental effects of spiritual contaminants, those contaminants must be dealt with, too.  In order to deal with something the devil is using to hinder the Body, whether it involves the overall Church or one specific congregation, the people involved must be willing to admit that the hindrance exists.  They must be willing to examine their lives, their spiritual status in the Body, their functioning, and then choose to take the steps necessary in order to overcome the obstacles that are interfering with how the body is operating.

         The motivational speaker Zig Ziglar often said that the first step in overcoming a problem is to admit a problem exists and then identify the problem.  When the members of a congregation, or individual disciples of Christ, for that matter, are willing to admit there is a problem that is causing them to stray from the will of Christ, then the problem must be identified.  It must be named.  Only after being named can the obstacle be overcome.  Only after overcoming the obstacle can the Head of the Body, Jesus, regain proper spiritual nerve signals to His Body.

         We’ll look at how to overcome the obstacles, the contaminants that obstruct God’s will, in the next letter.  Before that letter, allow me to encourage you to take a long, serious look at whether or not your life is reflecting the will of God for your life.  Ask yourself if there is anything that could interfere with how you function as one of Jesus’s disciples.  Ask the Holy Spirit to point out to you anything that the devil is using to interrupt the flow of Christ’s will into your life.  If there is something revealed to you, name it.  Identify it.  Then ask God to help you reconnect to the Head of the Body.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor